A Mom’s Dream: Keeping Your Home Stylish and Child Friendly All At Once

For most moms, it’s hard to imagine a home that’s both stylish enough to entertain and childproof enough that you can let your little ones run wild. Once the kids are old enough to walk around, the focus switches from chic and stylish to soft corners and easy-to-clean materials that won’t be ruined by the occasional spill.

Is having a stylish kid friendly home even possible?

Is it possible to keep up with your stylish decor while still keeping up with an energetic toddler or two? Definitely! Here are a few tips to help you make your home stylish and kid-proof all in one decisive move.

If you’re looking for stylish alternatives to traditional baby proofing techniques, there are plenty of options out there.

Safety First

Baby proofing often consists of bulky plastic clips and ties designed to keep little fingers out of places that they don’t belong. While functional, they’re not exactly stylish and can detract from the overall ambiance in your home.

Thankfully, you can keep those little fingers safe without compromising the look of your home. Instead of big bulky wooden baby gates which can potentially pinch even adult fingers, retractable mesh baby gates that can be installed directly into the door frame provide a fantastic alternative.

If you’re looking for stylish alternatives to traditional baby proofing techniques, there are plenty of options out there.

Shady Safety

Window shades are a great way to add a bit of color to a room or to regulate the amount of natural light that comes in through the windows, but they also present one of the biggest dangers to small children. While they don’t look terribly dangerous from the perspective of the adult, the cords that allow you to open, close, and adjust the window blinds present a strangulation hazard to small children. In spite of years of safety regulations and campaigns to encourage the safety of these devices, window blind cords still claim the life of about one child every month.

This heartbreaking statistic doesn’t have to continue – alternative designs are available that don’t rely on cords to adjust the blinds themselves. Instead, consider utilizing cordless systems, or even app enabled blinds that allow you to adjust your blinds from a smart phone app! Not only will these designs keep those little lives safe, they add a new level of style to your home. Who doesn’t want the newest high tech toys in their homes?

Keep them Involved

What’s the easiest way to keep your kids safe while designing your stylish home? Simple – keep them involved! While this isn’t always easy with littler kids, just imagine their delight when you include them in the planning phase of your interior design, especially after they get to see those designs coming to life.

Instead of saying “My home is the perfect epitome of style,” involving your kids in the creation process says “They live here too. If you don’t like it, tough.”

Spill-proof Doesn’t Mean Boring

Fabrics often take the brunt of the damage caused by small children, due to juice spills, flung food, and the occasionally unfortunate leaky diaper. Instead of tossing all your upholstered furniture in favor of plastic patio chairs, consider either reupholstering your most commonly used furniture in a waterproof or water resistant material, or taking some steps to make your current furniture waterproof.

For kitchen chairs or benches or any other areas where food or drink spills, consider vinyl for your cushions. It may not be as comfortable some of the other material options, but it is super easy to clean. All you have to do is wipe it down with a wet cloth and you’re good to go.

Pick some bright patterns or colors to appeal to both your visitors and your children.

If you don’t have the time or money to replace or reupholster all of your furniture, consider picking up some Scotch Guard or trying some other techniques to waterproof the fabric. Some work better than others and it’s always important to spot test in an inconspicuous spot to make sure the waterproofing material doesn’t darken or damage the fabric.

Soften the Corners

Sharp corners often add a very sleek and stylish look to the room, but for a parent with a small child running full tilt through the room, they’re also nightmare inducing.

You don’t need to take a piece of sandpaper to all of your tables and chairs! Instead, look into some corner protectors that add a bit of padding to those sharp edges. Most are available in a great variety of different colors so it’s super easy to find something that matches the color of your furniture. If you can’t find anything that looks just right, consider picking out a color that will contrast with your furniture, or choosing white corner protectors that you can primer and paint to any color that you want!

Don’t Hide Everything Away

When it comes right down to it, it doesn’t matter how stylish you want your home to be – your children live there too, so don’t hide them away! Instead, pick some of their best artwork and put it into color coordinated frames to hang on the wall, or keep some of their best looking toys in the living area as an accent that can also be used to keep them entertained.

It’s their home too, so as long as there’s not a huge mess in the walkway, there’s really no reason to keep them relegated to their bedrooms or playrooms!

So, Stylish Kid Friendly Home – YES WE CAN!

While it’s not easy to keep a stylish home when you’re raising a child or children, it’s most definitely not impossible. Hopefully these tips will put you on the right track and make it a little easier to create a home that both you and your children will love.

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Kacey is a lifestyle blogger for "The Drifter Collective." Throughout her life, she has found excitement in the world around her. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations, cultures, and styles, while communicating these endeavors through her passion for writing and expression. Her love for the world around her is portrayed through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts.